Maggie Slessor’s friend thinks she is a robot.
Children suffering from cerebral palsy may soon be able to use robots to help them rehabilitate their legs.
The 12-year-old Maggie Slessor is a cerebral palsy patient. Her legs cannot walk normally. Now she is going to a local rehabilitation hospital every two weeks to receive assistance from a robot.
She said: "When I showed the photos to my friends, they thought it was cool and thought I was a robot!" And she also felt that she could walk without crutches.
Slessor is participating in a project being studied at the University of Alberta in Canada to evaluate the role of a robotic footwork training system called Lokomat in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy. Rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy is not the same as for adults, not only because children are smaller in size, but also to consider their psychological motivations and attitudes, just as school education needs to be considered.
This is currently the largest research project on the evaluation of robotic assisted cerebral palsy children's rehabilitation. The following figure is a dynamic picture of Slessor training on Lokomat.
The machine leg supports the child's entire body weight and guides them in a normal walk. Lesley Wiart, head of the research project, said: "We are very interested in the system's effectiveness in helping to restore walking ability. But at the same time, we found that this system has affected the confidence of the children involved and they later performed physical therapy at home or elsewhere. It is more confident."
Shannon Phelan of the University of Alberta explains: “Robot gait training aids are becoming more and more popular, especially for parents who are looking for the latest technology and treatments. We are currently inclined to think that children want to rely on Walk on your legs or use a robot, because it's cool. But it's not always the case. The key is to understand what the children really think."
The entire project is expected to last for 5 years, including the evaluation of at least 140 children. After all, good science requires more time.
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